A Moment in the Flames of Phoenix
by xSummonerYunax
Summary: [Oneshot] Sins, guilt, fear, a final judgement, VincentxTifa...Nightmares are not only for little children.


A Moment in the Flames of Phoenix

"Why is it so hard to fall asleep?" Tifa muttered to herself. With a heavy sigh, she rolled over to her other side, letting the blanket and sheets fall on the floor in the process. The pitch black room was strangely warm for a winter night even though the heaters were not functioning. It was as if some unknown force was preventing the harsh cold from permeating into the structure. She was never a big believer of the supernatural, but during her journey with AVALANCHE, anything seemed possible. WEAPON, magic, Sephiroth, monstrous creations of ShinRA...what else hadn't she faced?

Unable to cope with the insomnia, the brunette pushed herself up from the bed and glanced around the lonesome room. She brought her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees as a shiver went up her spine. She spotted shadows of old porcelain dolls that appeared to be grinning evilly at her, almost as if they were accusing her for trespassing.

Maybe the dolls did have a reason to be upset with her and her company. They disturbed the peace that had been captivated by the invisible dwellers of the Nibelheim Mansion. Whatever ghouls and apparitions that still lingered within the house must be trying to haunt her. Tifa had a feeling that her presence was not welcomed. She felt as if she was being watched from all corners of the room; the little beady eyes of the dolls pierced into her soul.

If only they could see her real motive.

The Nibelheim Mansion was the last place she wanted to be at. Her own house was just a couple of minutes away, so why was she compelled to stay at the mansion? A part of her wanted to leap up and run out the main door, but she couldn't just leave Vincent Valentine alone. He was the sole purpose why she traveled all the way from Midgar to her childhood town.

The journey was painful not only to the mind, but to the heart as well. Tifa no longer had a place called 'home' anymore. The ground that she was standing on now was nothing but a mere recreation of the real Nibelheim Her real home died in the fire along with her father on the night Sephiroth went berserk.

People just assumed he went insane after discovering his true identity, but there were so many aspects that had been overlooked. No one ever blamed the cursed ShinRa mansion, the origin of Sephiroth's mania. All the secret files, reports, and books hidden in the basement library started the chaos. As long as they were kept alive, who knows when the period of suffering will occur?

The ShinRa HQ in Midgar was completely annihilated due to WEAPON's attack on the city. Two months after the final encounter with Sephiroth, the remnants of the vile corporation were burned. Tifa remembered that day well. Gasoline was poured all over the shattered building. Moments later, a grand fiery inferno snaked in a circular motion, forming a blazing vortex that consumed very bit of the vicious remainders of ShinRa. She could still smell the putrid stench of the ordeal. Her lungs constricted tightly as the black ashes swarmed her, suffocating her until she collapsed.

"Stop it..." Tifa scolded herself. Beads of sweat trickled down her back as she clutched the blanket tightly in her hands. She didn't even realize that she slumped onto the floor beside the haphazardly sprawled sheets. Misty tears formed in her eyes. ShinRa died taking everything she ever loved with it. She had to witness her family, friends, and town being burned for the second time in her life. She remembered Cloud holding her in his arms, cajoling her as if she were a little child. Damnit! He didn't understand her.

Only Vincent Valentine knew how she felt. 

He was living on some false hope that Lucrecia may still be alive, not in a physical sense, but more of a spiritual sense. The female researcher had been chained to ShinRa the moment she met Vincent. She lost her life to the researches she committed herself to...and Hojo-the sick and twisted scientist who shares part of the blame for the almost inevitable destruction of the Planet.

_To him, watching ShinRa HQ disappear must have felt like watching a part of Lucrecia fade forever. Perhaps sometimes a memory of a person or an event is not enough. Maybe we always need a 'physical' reminder. _

Her best friend Aeris will always live in her heart, but stepping into her church was a completely different experience. She could smell her floral scent, touch the flowers she once tended, and walk across the wooden planks that were once stepped on by the original owner-the flower girl herself. The church was a sanctuary and she would be damned if she allowed anything to happen to it.

_Even if ShinRa was corrupted, a pure and kind Lucrecia once walked through the lab rooms. Maybe the sight of the science equipments and the musky scent of the foreign fluids make Vincent's memory of Lucrecia seem more...alive...as if he is right there beside her._

"NOOOOOO!" a deep voice roared through the mansion with each syllable bouncing off the walls and eventually dissolving into light echoes.

Tifa instantly stood up as another cry was uttered. She quickly dried her eyes with her palms and dashed out of her resting chamber.

"Vincent? Don't worry! I'm coming!"

Save for the moonlight beaming through the windows, the mansion was completely voided of any light. Tifa lost her balance many times as she tried to weave through the furnitures and antiques adorning the vestibule. Her friend's voice grew much louder and urgent. Her head was spinning, confused from taking in the many echoes that vibrated through the rooms. She had no idea WHERE the voice was coming from.

"Vincent where are you?" she yelled. She felt like a tiny mouse trapped in an endless maze with freedom as the only incentive to continue on. The only difference was that Vincent was HER incentive.

"Ugh..." she cursed under her breath as she stumbled over a wooden chair. She flailed out her arms but was unable to balance herself. With a soft thud, she landed on the cold wooden floor. Rough splinters jagged into her tender fingers, instantly causing tiny droplets of blood to visibly form. Ignoring the pain pricking through her fingers, she stood back up and kicked the chair away from her path. "Vincent!" she called out again. "Tell me where you are so I can help you!"

Her calls were ignored as Vincent's screams blasted all around her once more.

_Damn! What if he's in major trouble?_

"I'm coming Vincent! Just hold on!"

The martial artist stormed into the rooms on the left, frantically checking under the covers for her friend. To her disappointment, it was obvious that no one resided in those rooms. Another chain of screams erupted. Tifa picked up her pace. From the anguish tone of his voice, Vincent appeared to be in deep pain.

She kept finding empty rooms after empty rooms. "Where is he sleeping at?"

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to her. She, Cloud, and Aeris found him in a coffin when they first met him in the mansion two years ago. Although she hadn't been in the mansion ever again until today, she did recall that there was a secret passage that led to the basement. Tifa ran to the the last room that she did not check. Pushing it open, she smiled when she discovered a small tower in the corner. The door was not locked.

_Vincent must be down there..._

The bright eerie green light was the only thing that kept her from losing sight as she hurriedly ran down the spiral staircase. "Vincent! Don't worry! I'm right here!" She hoped her voice was enough to reassure him that help was on the way. She didn't even stop for a moment to breathe once she entered the basement. For a moment, she had forgotten how to breathe.

A...creature emerged from the coffin chamber. Tifa froze in her spot, too terrified to take a step forward to find Vincent or a step back to escape. The creature towered above her, letting out a shrilling screech as it unfolded its jet black wings that spanned across the entire width of the corridor. From the small green lights hanging on the walls, Tifa could see perfect immaculate fangs protruding from the corner of it's mouth.

"Please...don't hurt me..."

The mysterious creature seemed to have understood her words. It withdrew its wings as its body began to rattle back and forth. The monster's height decreased, but its form was still taller than the female. As Tifa took small hesitant steps towards the light for a better view, she spotted human arms and legs emerging from the beast. She had to shield her eyes as a blinding amethyst beam sparkled around the shrouded human form. When it finally died down, Tifa's eyes widened in shock.

"Vincent!" She ran towards the unconscious man and scooped his upper body into her arms. "Vincent!" she cried out again as her fingers gingerly brushed away the stray bangs that disturbed his half closed eyes.

"NOOO...please...don't..." the gunman whispered.

"Vincent! Wake up...you are having a nightmare!" No matter how much she pleaded, the man appeared to be unresponsive towards her.

"Lu...crecia..."

_He must be dreaming about her..._

"NO! Don't go!" He woke up with a start, beads of sweat dripping from his face as his gaze wandered around the room, trying to make sense of where he was.

Tifa gripped his arm tightly to reassure him that he was safe. "Shh...it's all right. It was all...a very bad dream."

"Tifa..."

The woman nodded. "Yes, I am here. How are you feeling?"

"Like my life just ended," he stoically replied. Standing up, he extended an arm, helping the female up to her feet. "I'm terribly sorry if I scared you before. Chaos took over me."

"Does Chaos take over you...alot?"

"No. Only when my mind is trapped in a turmoil and I can't control my...emotions. Hojo did this to me," he stated as a fact.

"I know. You should sit down Vincent. You don't look so well to me."

Tifa looked around the hall. The last place she wanted to go was the the chamber with the coffin. The poor man would probably just lock himself away again for another twenty years or so. She spotted a door at the end of the hall. It seemed much more convenient than traveling back up the spiral tower so she slowly guided him towards it. What she didn't know was that the room was actually the secret library that caused so much tension.

Letting the door close behind her, Tifa felt almost numb. She had to lean against Vincent for support to prevent herself from falling. She was standing in the very room she had dreaded to enter. It was the room that plagued her mind for years, making her imagination run wild whenever she tried to picture the events that led to Sephiroth's demise.

Vincent pulled out a chair and ushered Tifa to sit. "You look pale as a ghost..."

"I'm sorry. It's just that...this is my first time in this library. I don't know what to think and feel. Sephiroth was here...Cloud was here...they were here on the night that completely changed my life."

Vincent understood. He had been sleeping in his coffin when all the commotion outside occurred. He was heartless and selfish. He could have done something to help, but he was hoping the fire would eventually scorch the mansion, killing him in the process. He had so many sins he needed to atone for.

"I'm sorry for bringing you here Tifa. Maybe it was a mistake."

"What do you mean? I said I would accompany you."

"Yes, but is this all too much for you? To tell you the truth, I thought coming here would help me find some peace of mind...but my old memories of her are preventing me from doing so. I came here to destroy the mansion because I feel ShinRa is not completely gone until every place owned by them is dead. But...I feel as if I am killing a part of Lucrecia if I do go through with it..."  
He said what needed to be said. Now, he just need to make a decision. He hated the ShinRa for robbing him of his only precious treasure, but he would be robbed of her again by eliminating ShinRa. "It's as if she is a property of ShinRa and condemning the corporation to hell would be doing the same to her, wouldn't it?"

When a long period of silence followed, he continued, "I had a dream...no...a nightmare. I saw ShinRa in flames...and I saw her face too along with all my innocent colleagues. They don't deserve it."

"No. They don't," Tifa admitted. "I was thinking the same thing when I tried to sleep. On the day that ShinRa HQ was completely burned down, I cried because it's like reliving the Nibelheim incident all over again. ShinRa took my home so when it burned, I saw everyone I love in flames too."

"So what do you think I should do?"

The brunette pulled out a small pouch from her pocket. Loosening the strings, she revealed a tiny red globe. "I brought this with me thinking that it might come in handy for us."

"Your fingers..." Vincent observed, ignoring her last statement. "They're badly cut. What happened?"

"Oh...when you called out...I came rushing and I tripped over a chair and fell. It's nothing. Don't worry..." She tried to hide her fingers but Vincent was too quick. He gently gripped her hands and brought them under a light. She winced as he ran his own fingers over her dried blood. "You must think I'm so foolish to have tripped over a chair."

"No...it's very dark. If anything, it's my fault for startling you. I'll find a way to treat it."

"No, not now. I want you to look at this first." She handed him the crimson globe.

"Is that the summon monster Phoenix?" Vincent took the materia into his hand and clasped his fingers around it. Rolling the tiny object around seemed to give him strange solace.

"Yes. When I entered the library, I remembered this fairy tale book I read when I was a child. It was about Phoenix. She was the final judgment. Her flames killed the evil but revived the innocent."

"Rebirth flame..." Vincent simply stated.

"Yes. Fire is used to cleanse impurities. Vincent...let's leave it up to Phoenix. She can be the final judgment. I know Lucrecia, my friends, and family are dead...but perhaps the Rebirth Flame could help keep them burning strong in our hearts without any physical contact of the environment that caused their tragic fate."

The gunman was truly taken back by her words. He had always known Tifa was a bright young lady, but the words she had just spoken to him sounded like something that came out of wise sage's mouth, not a bartender. He came here to end his misery. Aeris had forgiven Cloud for his sins. Now it was his turn to move on.

"Do you think Lucrecia will forgive me?"

"You know the answer to that. I think she had forgiven you a long time ago, but you just never accepted it."

"Thank you Tifa. I'm so...grateful that you came with me...to help me find guidance."

Tifa blushed slightly at his soft comment. For the first time, she saw a smile tug at the corner of his lips and it pleased her to know that she was the first person in a long time to help grace what resembled a grin on his face. "Let's do this together OK? You're not alone Vincent...you were never alone." She took his hand into her's and held it tightly.

"No...I guess not." He opened his palm, revealing the red summon materia in the opposite hand. He lowered it until Tifa folded her hand over the globe as well. Together in unison, the duo whispered, "Rebirth Flame..."

In an instant, the entire library became engulfed in fire as the beautiful Phoenix itself answered to the calling of its masters. Tifa smiled brightly as she hugged the man next to her. "You see...everything is OK." She lifted her fingers and found a warm soothing energy healing the wounds from her fall. The blood and cuts disappeared, revealing a fresh layer of young skin.

Vincent didn't know what to feel. The whole experience felt rather...magical and otherworldly. He touched the brunette's fingers to make sure that he was indeed living in reality. They were standing in the middle of a burning room. Papers and books were catching on fire by the second as the wooden structures and girders toppled all over the place. "Watch out!" he yelled when he spotted the tip of Tifa's dress tail in flames. To his surprise, there were no damages done.

"Heh. You see? We're not harmed. Phoenix knows we're just innocent victims. Vincent...you're innocent! No more talk about sins...okay?"

"All right..."

For the first time in decades, he found peace... in the arms of Tifa Lockheart.

Author's Notes: I hope it wasn't too depressing. It's been a long time since I wrote a Tifa/Vincent fic. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!

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